


Like Vines

by CustomerService



Category: Don't Starve (Video Game)
Genre: American Sign Language, Bonding, Charlie is Mute, Fluffy interaction, Nonbinary Character, Other, Parental Death implied, slight blood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-16
Updated: 2018-11-16
Packaged: 2019-08-24 03:21:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16631930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CustomerService/pseuds/CustomerService
Summary: Wilson makes a new friend





	Like Vines

At night he kept his guard up.

Watching at the edge of the circle of fire, waiting, preparing, on edge in case of an attack. This world seemed to have its’ own strange laws and creatures, and Wilson wasn’t going to let them catch him off guard in the dark.

And then there was also the night monster.

It always flickered through the darkness, hiding out there, waiting to take his blood and life. The first night it had nearly killed him. If he hadn’t built a torch, he would have died.

Someday, he thought, he would figure out a way to fight it and would no longer have to fear the dark. There had to be a way to fight it. Wilson P. Higgsbury was a man of science, and he would not rest until he had vanquished the beast.

The sound of a twig snapping broke him out of his thoughts. He turned, only to see that it had just been a restless Beefalo who had wandered into his camp. “Shoo! Get out!” He exclaimed, waving a stick threateningly at it. The creature quickly ran off, frightened.

Wilson breathed a sigh of relief, but he could feel some sort of chilling presence behind him, as if the dark had grown hands to reach out and touch him with. He turned, but nothing was there. It was almost as if the presence had melted into the shadows.

There could only be one creature that could do this - the night monster. He readied himself for the next move of the creature, hand over his ax and ready to strike. The thing moved soundlessly through the dark air, hunting him down like he was a rabbit. Cautiously, he stepped out from the safety of the fire and into the dark.

He could feel the thing’s presence all around him, preparing to strike and rip his garments, to steal his blood. Just a few more seconds…

He turned and cut into the darkness with his ax.

Immediately there was a shriek and a thump of  _ something _ falling to the ground. Had he killed it? He wouldn’t know until daytime. For now, he retreated to the fire’s light and kept his vigil until the morning.

~<>~

The crack of dawn was always relieving to him. Slowly, the gentleman scientist began to make his way towards the place where he thought he had attacked the beast, but there was no sign of the creature, just a few drops of black blood and a scrap of silky black fabric.

“Dammit.” He mumbled, picking up the fabric, “It got away…”

Wilson sighed, going back to his usual tasks of chopping wood and gathering food until the evening, upon which he returned to his fire pit and waited, hoping to land another hit on the horrible night beast.

When darkness fell he waited, staying near his dwindling fire in hopes he could see it after attacking the creature. As the night crawled on there was nothing though, until the moon had reached its zenith.

In the faint light he could see something moving in the darkness, some humanoid figure. It stayed near the edge of the darkness, lurking, waiting for the fire to lower. It was tall, with pale skin and dark irises with white pupils. It seemed to be cloaked in silky fabric similar to the scrap he had picked up earlier. The creature’s right hand seemed to be more ethereal and composed of a flame-like material.

It skirted the edges of the circle of light, silent and watching Wilson with curiosity. There seemed to be no malevolent motive to the beast’s actions, only that I was intrigued by his camp.

Wilson reached his hand into his pocket, rubbing the soft scrap of fabric within it. Did having part of the creature’s outfit allow him to see it? Why wasn’t it attacking him?

He stayed watching it until morning. As the sun rose, the creature ran off, fading into the shadows beneath a pinetree. He searched for any sign of it, but all there was was a trail of tiny black specks from the creature’s blood.

During the day he went about a different task. Picking flowers. Not only did it distract from the uncomfortable reality of his situation, but he could then make them into something bright and cheery. A possible offering to the strange creature that lurked in the shadows.

~<>~

That night it came closer, blood still dripping from the wound in its’ side. As it approached, Wilson shakily offered it the garland of woven together blossoms, praying it wouldn’t attempt to attack him.

The creature took the garland and tentatively placed it upon their own head. They seemed a bit confused but pleased, nervously smiling and blushing slightly.

“You can talk, can’t you?”

The night creature shook their head, still very smitten with the garland of flowers. They seemed peaceable enough when visible.

“I’m guessing you don’t like it when people don’t pay attention to you.”

They nodded vigorously. Attention felt good! They didn’t like it when people couldn’t see them. It made them feel ignored.

“I’m more of a loner myself,” Wilson explained, “But it’s nice to have some company.”

The night creature nodded, smiling. They reached out a tentative hand towards him, taking his own hand in their grasp and squeezing it gently. Their skin was cold, almost freezing, and smooth as silk. Within their eyes there was nothing but black and white pigment, no warmth seemed to come from their hypnotizing depths. Their nose had a gentle curve to it and ended in a defined point. Their mouth fit into the contours of their face perfectly, accented in dark lipstick that seemed as black as the night itself. It was a perfect contrast to her pale skin.

“How… How long have you been alone out here?” He asked, voice quivering from the sudden contact. He hadn’t been touched so kindly by anyone in years.

They scratched out some numbers in the dirt. 15.

“15 whole years, huh.” He mumbled, “It must’ve been lonely…”

They nodded, holding Wilson’s hand close to themself. They didn’t want to let go of him.

“I… I guess I could let you stay- but no biting or scratching, got it?” He added the last part quickly, not wanting to be killed in the night.

They nodded curtly once more, offering their other ethereal hand to Wilson. He slowly took it, and that instant he could see everything within the darkness. Though his mind was slipping at the touch, he could see the world around him in an all new light.

The monster lead him through the dark, gripping his hand firmly so he could see. There were shadowy creatures moving through the bushes, similar to the night terrors he experienced when the world felt as if it were falling apart. They had lead him out to a clearing surrounded by fireflies and flowers, tenderly taking his other hand and placing it on her shoulder, while moving the hand she currently gripped to her waist. Slowly, she began to lead him in a musicless waltz. As the night wore on they continued to dance, united under the moonlight.

~<>~

When the sun rose he was asleep.

Sometime in the night he had fallen from exhaustion, and the night monster had laid down next to him to keep him warm. Now awakening, Wilson could see that the beast stayed at his side, peacefully snoozing. They seemed even more pale in the sunlight than they did in the moonlight. At his movements, they opened their eyes, sitting up and waiting for Wilson’s next move.

“How are you still here?” He asked, a bit confused on how a creature of darkness could survive in the daylight. They simply shrugged, gesturing to the garland of flowers around their head. “Oh, so I guess the flowers are helping? They help keep me grounded as well.” He paused, “What’s your name, anyways? You’ve got to have a name.”

Once more they started to scratch lines into the dirt, spelling out a word.

“Charlie..? Is it short for something?”

They shook their head.

“Well then Charlie, it’s been a pleasure becoming your acquaintance. However, I must go back to tending to my camp. Wood doesn’t chop itself.” He gave them a shy smile, which they returned quite nervously. When he began to walk away, they followed him. They followed him all the way back to his camp and sat near the fire, watching him work.

They stayed there until the evening, just watching. Wilson couldn’t really tell them to  _ leave _ \- they had nowhere else to go. And truth be told he was starting to get attached to them. Their presence was a bit comforting in the lonely wilderness.

As the sun started to set in the west, Wilson put some logs in the fire, keeping a careful eye on Charlie. They didn’t budge, just staring at the small sparks he made while putting the fire together.

“There, all set up.” He mumbled, watching the fire rise slowly. “You can leave if you want to, I don’t mind being alone out here.”

Charlie shook their head, gently taking his hand once more. She slowly pulled the glove off of it before inspecting his fingers with the curiosity a child would display. Their gentle and chilled touch outlined every single fold in his skin. Then they put their arms around him, embracing him and keeping him close.

“Ch-Charlie?!” Wilson squeaked out in shock, “What are you-“

They were shaking, a drop of liquid dripping down their face and onto Wilson’s shoulder. They were crying.

“Charlie…? Shhh, shh… it’s alright… it’s okay.” He started to rub her back with the tenderness that lovers would show. “I’m not going to leave you out here alone in this hell for any longer.”

They sniffled, hiccuping and drawing in air as Wilson cooed and rubbed their back more. “It’s alright… it’ll be alright… we’ll get out of here together, I promise.”

They started to calm down, sniffling and wiping their face with their dress. They tried to explain their feelings with movement but Wilson quickly stopped them. “I understand. You’ve been alone for so long that you’re scared of the only person you have left leaving you.” He paused, “I’ve felt that feeling before.” He started to think, the gears turning in his head, trying to think of a way to make her feel happy once more.

~<>~

“Alright Charlie, today I’m going to teach you how to talk- well, not really talk but just how to communicate.”

They looked confused, unsure of how Wilson was going to do that. They were never able to speak.

He held up his hand, “I used to not speak, a bit like you. I eventually got over it but my mom-” he nearly choked up mentioning her, “-taught me how to sign things out using my hands.” He waved, held out his palms and gestured to himself, moved two fingers from his lips then pointed at Charlie. “That means hello and how are you.” he explained, “And then this-” He gestured once more, moving his ring finger across his hand, then moved some fingers to his chin before holding up his hand and finished off the phrase by moving his hands up and down, “-means what is your name.”

Charlie clapped her hands together enthusiastically. She started to mimic some of his motions with her own hands, quickly learning various phrases and words from Wilson.

As night started to fall again she grew drowsy, yawning gently. “I guess learning that much must tire oneself out, huh.” Wilson mumbled. Charlie nodded in response and then gestured for him to come closer. He did, only for Charlie to pull him close to their face and give him a peck on the lips.

“I-I- Charlie!” He was blushing quite a bit as they pointed at him, smiling at his embarrassment. “You could’ve at least warned me!” Wilson exclaimed. They were also blushing, a bit of red dusting their face as they noiselessly laughed at Wilson’s facial expression.

The scientist huffed. This meant  _ war _ . Immediately, he pulled Charlie close and began to kiss her face. He wouldn’t be made a fool by the night monster again! She immediately retaliated, returning his affections cheerily.

This continued until Charlie managed to get Wilson into a bear hug, kissing him firmly on the lips before letting him go.

“W-Wow… Charlie I-“

She made a heart using her hands and then pointed at him, a smile on her face, causing Wilson blush heavily once more. “You’re amazing.” He managed to squeak out, leaning against her blissfully. They smiled, stroking a hand through his messy hair before starting to fall asleep herself.

All was well.

**Author's Note:**

> There wasn't enough wholesome, fluffy and rated G Charlie/Wilson on AO3, so I took matters into my own hands.


End file.
